Protesters: Church Leader Hates Gays

They paraded in the rain outside Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church on Wednesday, loudly denouncing what they say are the numerous "untruths" being propagated against homosexuals by the church's leader.

As almost 200 protesters jammed the sidewalks, juggling umbrellas and hoisting posters that called for tolerance and justice, the Rev. D. James Kennedy of Coral Ridge Ministries looked on from a distance.

The themed protest - Pray for Tolerance, March for Justice - was in recognition of Gay Pride Week. But the site of the protest in the 5500 block of Federal Highway was chosen strictly for an audience perceived as anti-homosexual.

About 2,500 Presbyterian leaders from around the country are in Fort Lauderdale for the Presbyterian Church in America's general assembly, which is at Coral Ridge. About 30 church members watched the protest in silence.

In the meantime, one of the protest organizers, Dennis Delia, was anything except silent. He said the group wanted to call attention to Kennedy. Delia said Kennedy is primarily responsible for the dissemination of inaccurate information about gays and their lifestyles and preaches hate for homosexuals from the pulpit.

"We do not hate anyone," Kennedy said. "We say only what the scriptures say: God condemns homosexuals. We welcome them to repent their sins and turn to Jesus Christ.

"We are offering them a message of hope - a normal life."

But Delia said Kennedy's public preachings about homosexuals, which often includes statistics that reportedly show 75 percent of gay men have hepatitis and that the average lifespan for a gay man is 41, promotes a dangerous climate for the gay community.

"These lies dehumanize people," said Delia, president of Gays United To Attack Repression and Discrimination. "And when you dehumanize people, it opens up the door for others to beat and kill them. The number of homosexuals being murdered is rising, and it's due to these blatant lies."